Curtain rod structure



Sept. 1, 1953 L. c. BROSE ET AL 2,650,714

CURTAIN ROD STRUCTURE Filed May 6, 1947 7 37. .9 Q i W V V INVENTORS,

Leandra C. Bron & WoiefJfezuarfBfoJe A TTORNE Y.

Patented Sept. 1, 1953 UNITED CURTAIN ROD STRUCTURE Leonard C. Brose and Violet Stewart Brose, Burbank, Calif.

Application May 6, 1947, Serial No. 746,278

3 Claims.

This invention relates to hangers for curtains, drapes and the like and more particularly to the type wherein the supporting rod member is bowed outwardly from the window or other opening above which it is mounted.

Heretoiore, such bowed curtain rods have been bent to the desired curvature in manufacture and have been formed in the conventional telescopic, two-piece construction to accommodate varying widths of openings. In general, they have been mounted on supporting brackets which are very similar to the supporting brackets employed for the straight type of curtain rod and consequently the rods at their ends are generally spaced some distance away from the wall or frame to which the brackets are attached. Heretofore, this lateral displacement of the ends of the curtain rods has been accepted as a necessary evil, notwithstandin the fact that a much more pleasing efiect could be obtained if the ends of the rods were located close to the supporting wall or frame and thence curved outwardly in their mid portion. Again, the production of the curved type of rod is not free from manufacturing diiiiculties, since the rods must telescope and due to the varying characteristics of the somewhat resilient metal used for the rods, no two rods are apt to be of exactly the same curvature; resulting in difficulty in finding a pair of members that will slide freely together.

To overcome these deficiencies and to provide a new and useful hanger for curtains, drapes and the like is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention.

Among the specific objects of the invention are: to provide a curtain rod structure in which the ends of the rod are located in close proximity to the wall or frame on which it is mounted, to provide a one-piece rod which is so mounted as to accommodate a range of spacings of the supporting brackets, to provide a curtain rod structure in which the rod is initially stressed to provide rigidity in the mounting thereof, to provide a curtain rod structure in which a plurality of rods may be mounted on a single pair of supporting brackets with the ends of each rod disposed in close proximity to the wall or frame on which they are mounted, to provide a curtain rod of resilient material which is normally straight and which, when installed, assumes a bowed form and to provide a curtain rod structure in which the rod is held in place on its supporting brackets by the resilience of the rod.

With the foregoing objects in mind, together with such other objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts, and in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective top plan view of one form of the invention comprising three rods adapted to support a pair of curtains together with a valance or a pair of drapes.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the assembly shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the structural elements shown in Figs. 1 and 2 prior to assembly.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the staggered line 3-4 of Fig. 2,

Fi 5 is a front elevation of one of the bracket members employed in the form of the invention shown in Figs. 14 inclusive,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the supporting bracket taken on the line E s of Fig. 5,

Figs. 7 and 8 are front elevations and top plan views respectively of a modified form of supporting bracket which may be used with the form of rod illustrated in the preceding figures.

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of a further modification employing solid or tubular rods which are insertable in sockets formed in the supporting brackets, and

Fig. 10 is an enlarged front elevation of one of the bracket members used in the form of the invention shown in Fig. 9.

Referring first to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the structure comprises a pair of bracket members I and 2 each provided with suitable mounting means such as a plurality of holes to receive screws or other fastening means by which they may be secured to the opposite sides of a window or other opening to be covered. The brackets are identical and are mounted in opposed relation and each bracket is provided with a series of outwardly inclined tongue 3, 4 and 5. The tongues 3 and 4 are struck out of the base portion of the brackets and the tongue 5 is formed as a narrow extension of the base portion which, as best shown in Fig. 6, is bent outwardly at an acute angle to the plane of the base portion. The curtain rOds 6, l and 8 are formed of resilient strips of metal bent throughout their length so as to have a modified C-section as best shown in Fig. i and each rod is normally straight and is somewhat longer than the distance between the juncture of the bracket tongues on which it is to be mounted with their respective base portions.

As shown in Fig. 4, the tongues are of such width as to have a tight frictional engagement with the interior of the rods. To hang a curtain or the like on the rods, the rod is first inserted in the hem or pocket at the top of the curtain and the rod is then slipped over one of the tongues on which it is to be mounted. The rod is then bowed outwardly sufficiently to allow the other end to be brought past the free end of the other tongue and is then slipped over that tongue as far as it will go. The resilience of the rod then prevents it from coming off the tongues until it is intentionally removed. Additionally, the stressing of the rod in this manner serves to increase the rigidity of the rod.

It is particularly to be noted that because of the novel mounting of the curtain rods, the ends of the curtains are disposed close to the wall surface on which the brackets are mounted and that the curtains will extend in a graceful curve across the opening unbroken by any sharp corners. Further, due to the novel means of connecting the ends of the rods with the brackets, the brackets are completely concealed by the curtain or drape. Still further, the brackets are simple in design, requiring only a single stamping operation to be produced ready for use, while the rods are formed from a uniform rolled strip section which needs only to be cut off in the desired lengths ready for use. This makes unnecessary the provision of expensive dies to produce rods of the desired curvature. Still further, only a single rod is used, eliminating one of the parts that has heretofore been considered necessary in the conventional telescopic construction. The fact that the rod is bowed as above described, makes it possible for a rod of given length to accommodate a considerable range of spacings between its supporting brackets with a relatively slight variation in the amount it is bowed out at its midportion. In production each rod may be provided with a pair of marks near one end; the distances between said marks and the other end of therod serving to indicate the minimum and maximum spacing of the brackets for that particular rod.

For those installations in which only one or two rods are required, a modified form of bracket such as shown at 9 in Figs. 7 and 8 may be used. This bracket is formed of sheet metal having a relatively wide base portion 10 and a pair of oppositely disposed tongues H and 12, said tongues being bent to incline outwardly and forwardly at acute angles to the base portion and the base portion is provided with holes B-a adapted toreceive screws or the like to fasten it to window frame or the adjacent wall. The mounting of the rod or rods thereon is effected inthe same manner as has been described with the same'advantages as have been pointed out at length in connection with the first described form of the invention.

Referring now to the form of the invention shown Figs. 9 and 10, the brackets I3 comprise base portions l4 having fixed thereto as integral portions thereof, one or more outwardly inclined lug elements l; each of said elements having a longitudinally extending socket l6 adapted to receive an end of a curtain rod ll. As here shown the rod I1 is of solid, resilient material such as spring wire and is circular in cross section, but it will be realized that other cross sectional shapes may be employed and that if desired the rod may be hollow instead of solid. The assembly of the rod and brackets is the same as above described, the only essential diiierence being that the end of the rod is inserted in a socket instead of being slipped over a tongue. This construction is especially desirable in those instances where an inexpensive rod to carry a light weight curtain is desired. It has the same desirable characteristics of rigidity, effective concealment and economical manufacture as the previously des'cribedforms of the invention.

While we have shown and described certain specific embodiments of our invention, we do not limit ourselves to the exact details of construction set forth, and the invention embraces such changes, modifications and equivalents of the parts and their formation and arrangement as come within the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A curtain rod structure comprising a pair of rod supporting brackets, each having a wallengaging base portion and rod-engaging tongue means extending outwardly at converging acute angles with respect to the plane of the area to be covered and being adapted to be attached to a wall or frame at opposite sides of an area to be covered by a curtain, and a normally straight, resilient curtain rod having its ends detachably engaging said tongue means; said rod being bowed outwardly from the plane of said area incident to said engagement with said rod-engaging tongue means when the base portions of said brackets are disposed in co-planar relationship on opposite sides of an area.

2. A curtain rod structure comprising a pair of rod supporting brackets mounted at opposite sides of an area to be covered by a curtain, each of said brackets having a base and a plurality of rod-engaging tongue elements arranged parallel to each other and at acute angles to the plane of the area to be covered, and a plurality of normally straight, resilient curtain rods, each of said rods at each end thereof detachably engaging a corresponding tongue element of each of said brackets, and being of greater length than the distance between the rod-engaging means on which it is mounted whereby, incident to being mounted thereon, each of said rods is caused to assume a bowed form when said brackets are mounted on opposite sides of the area with the bases thereof disposed in co-planar relationship.

3. A curtain rod structure comprising a pair of rod supporting brackets mounted at opposite sides of an area to be covered by a curtain, each of said brackets having a base portion and a plurality of rod-engaging elements disposed at opposite acute angles to the plane of the area to be covered, and a plurality of normally straight,

resilient curtain rods each having end portions adapted to engage an opposed pair of said elements; each of said rods being of greater length than the distance between the elements with which it is associated whereby, incident to engagement with said elements when the base portions of said brackets are disposed in co-planar relationship, each of said rods is caused to assume a bowed form; the rod-engaging elements on each of said brackets being so disposed relative to each other that said bowed rods will be substantially uniformly spaced from each other throughout their length.

LEONARD C. BROSE.

VIOLET STEWART BROSE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,196,704 Kroder Aug. 29, 1916 1,270,634 Lowe et al. June 25, 1918 1,299,003 Morris et al Apr. 1, 1919 1,699,999 Sykes Jan. 22, 1929 1,794,019 Kenney Feb. 24, 1931 1,873,028 Pormann Aug. 23, 1932 1,875,150 Reinhardt Aug. 30, 1932 2,005,012 Sprinkel June 18, 1935 2,181,417 Boye Nov. 28, 1939 2,195,979 Ziolkowski Apr. 2, 1940 

